77th session of the United Nations General Assembly Third Committee
Joint statement by Nordic and Baltic countries at the Interactive Dialogue with SRSG CAAC Virginia Gamba
7 October 2022, New York
Mr Chair,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Nordic and Baltic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and my own country, Estonia.
We thank Special Representative Virginia Gamba for her presentation and all UN child protection actors for their tireless work.
Your report provides an alarming reflection of the severity of violations committed against children affected by armed conflict. From Russia’s brutal and unjustified war in Ukraine to the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon and bloodshed in Yemen – the ongoing trend of killing and harming children by explosive weapons and remnants of war is a disturbing example of impunity and the absence of accountability and justice for children to this day.
As such, we echo your encouragement to utilise a stronger gender perspective in regards to the implementation of monitoring and reporting mechanisms and we would like to stress our commitment to strengthening the joint diplomatic efforts in implementing recommendations provided in your report. We also extend our support to the development of a comprehensive strategy to address the challenges facing children affected by conflict and violence more effectively.
- In your report, you have identified several key elements for improving the protection of children affected by conflict, including mainstreaming child protection issues as well as ensuring sufficient protection capacity. Could you elaborate on the immediate actions that the countries can take to improve the situation?
